TENNIS in DEPTH.

Gisela Dulko became the first Argentine woman ever to win the Abierto Mexicano TELCEL on Saturday night, beating Spaniard Arantxa Parra Santonja in a tight two-setter in the title match, 63 76(5). Seeded No.4, Dulko cruised into the final for the most part, a 36 75 60 win over Laura Pous-Tio in the quarterfinals the only scare – apart from that she lost just eight games in her other three matches combined. On the other side of the draw, a No.6-seeded Parra Santonja was also putting her best on display in becoming the first Spaniard ever to reach the finals at this tournament.

“Finals are always special and we were both nervous in the first set, but after that I was playing much better,” Dulko commented. “All of a sudden I started to get a bit nervous again and Arantxa started playing so well. I was three set points down. At the end I ended up winning, so I’m really happy.”

Dulko now has four WTA titles to her name, her first three coming at Budapest and Forest Hills in 2007 and at Fès in 2008. She is now 4-4 in career finals. “I love this tournament but I was always struggling here,” Dulko said. “I felt great this week though, on and off the court. I couldn’t go to the beach too much though, so I’ll try to do that tomorrow morning before I leave.” When Dulko was informed she was the first Argentine woman to win this title she was even happier. “Wow, what an honor!” the 26-year-old said. “It’s great just to win a tournament but to do that too is unbelievable for me. A lot of good things have been happening to me this year and I’m just trying to enjoy it all.”

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